UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA 

COLLEGE   OF   AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT    STATION 

CIRCULAR  No.  261 
April,  1923 

SEWING  GRAIN  SACKS1 

By  JAMES  KOEBEK 


Frontispiece. — Sacked    grain    in    a    California    field. 

The  farmer  or  farmer's  boy  in  any  of  the  general  farming  or 
grain  growing  districts  of  the  Pacific  Coast  States  who  can  not  sew 
sacks  is  exceptional.  It  is  a  question  however  whether  he  can  do 
the  job  easily,  quickly,  and  efficiently. 

It  is  believed  that  the  directions  given  here,  if  followed  carefully 
will  enable  even  an  inexperienced  person  to  sew  grain  sacks.  It  is 
important  for  a  beginner  to  go  slowly  and  carefully  at  first  and  then 
work  faster  as  the  operations  require  less  thought.  Considerable 
practice  is  necessary  before  one  can  expect  to  sew  rapidly. 


iMany  persons  have  made  a  critical  study  of  rope  work,  knots,  splices, 
and  the  like,  as  is  evident  from  the  literature  on  the  subject.  We  believe 
that  no  one  thus  far  has  attempted  by  means  of  the  printed  page  to  teach 
the  beginner  to  sew  sacks  well  or  the  experienced  man  to  sew  a  little  better 
than  he  may  be  accustomed  to  do,  although  for  most  ranchers  this  is  fully  as 
important  as  a  knowledge  of  rope  work  perhaps,  even  more  so, 


Z  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

It  is  certain  that  some  persons  who  have  sewed  many  sacks  can 
profit  by  following  the  directions  outlined  although  they  may  find 
considerable  difficulty  in  changing  to  a  new  method  from  an  old  one 
that  has  practically  become  a  habit.  If  the  new  one  bids  fair  to  be 
more  efficient,  however,  the  necessary  effort  may  be  well  worth  while. 


SELECTING  AND  PREPAKING  EQUIPMENT 

1.  Needle. — Use  what  is  commonly  called  a  spring  eye  sack  needle, 
that  is,  one  with  a  broad  flat  double  edged  blade,  a  spring  eye,  and 
the  part  of  the  eye  nearest  to  the  point  sharpened  to  cut  the  string 
when  pushed  forcibly  backward  against  a  loop  of  the  fastened  string 
(Fig,  1,  left).     The  needle  should  be  of  a  length  sufficient  for  the 

point  to  project  about  three-quar- 
ters of  an  inch  beyond  the  fingers 
when  held  as  in  figure  2,  with  the 
sides  of  the  blade  between  the 
thumb  and  first  two  fingers  of  the 
right  hand  and  the  eye  end  of  the 
needle  against  the  lower  part  of 
the  palm.  Needles  may  be  secured 
in  four-inch  to  five-inch  lengths 
and  should  be  selected  to  fit  the 
hand  of  the  user. 


Fig.   1  Fig.  2 

Fig.  1. — Tools  needed  for  sewing  sacks.  Left,  needle;  middle,  needle  file; 
right,  whetstone. 

Fig.  2. — Showing  manner  of  holding  needle  to  judge  of  the  proper  size 
and  for  using. 


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SEWING   GRAIN    SACKS 


2.  Needle  file. — Secure  a  sack  needle  file  for  sharpening  the  cutting 
part  of  the  eye  (Fig.  1,  middle). 

3.  Whetstone. — A  good  whetstone  of  small  size  (Fig.  1,  right)  for 
sharpening  the  edges  of  the  blade  is  essential.  If  these  edges  are 
not  very  sharp,  when  a  thick  portion  of  the  sack  is  encountered  time 
will  be  lost  in  pushing  the  needle  through. 


Fig.   3. — Material  needed   for  sewing  sacks.     Left,  skein   of   twine;    right, 
skein  opened  out,  cut  and  braided  loosely 


4.  Twine. — Sack  twine  comes  in  skeins  as  shown  in  figure  3,  left, 
and  should  be  of  good  quality.  When  the  skein  has  been  opened 
out,  cut  at  one  end  and  braided  loosely,  it  should  appear  as  in  figure  3, 
right.  The  strings  thus  cut  are  of  the  proper  length,  about  3  feet 
9  inches  when  doubled,  and  may  be  pulled  out  with  little  or  no 
tangling. 


4  •      UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

5.  Seat. — Usually  the  first  two  sacks  sewed  are  piled,  forming  a 
seat  about  sixteen  inches  high.  Place  the  braided  twine  over  the 
seat  with  the  loop  ends  to  the  right  and  hang  the  needle  on  a  bight 
or  loop  of  one  string  where  it  can  be  readily  reached  by  the  sack 
sewer's  right  hand  (Fig.  4).  The  sack  sewer  should  sit  lightly  on  the 
braided  twine,  which  will  be  kept  in  better  shape  if  one  or  two  empty 
sacks  are  thrown  over  it  to  hold  it  in  place. 


Fig.  4. — Showing  manner  of  placing  the  twine,  sack,  and  shaping  the  top 
for  sewing. 


STEPS  IN  SEWING 

1.  Shaping  the  top. — Place  a  well  filled  sack  on  the  floor  or  ground 
between  the  knees  with  the  seam  in  the  side  of  the  sack  away  from 
the  sewer.  Bring  the  edges  of  the  sack  nearly  together  by  flatten- 
ing the  sides  near  the  top  with  the  hands,  taking  care  to  crowd  the 
grain  well  into  the  corners  and  to  have  the  left  edge  slightly  higher 
than  the  right   (Fig.  4). 

2.  Forming  the  loop  for  the  first  ear;  first  motion. — Take  the 
threaded  needle  in  the  right  hand,  as  shown  in  figure  2.  With  the 
left  hand  well  toward  the  right  side,  palm  upward,  draw  the  string 
across  it  (Fig.  5). 

3.  Forming  the  loop  for  the  first  ear;  second  motion. — Roll  the 
left  hand  toward  the  body,  taking  care  to  pass  the  fingers  over  the 
string,  then  under  it,  giving  the  string  a  complete  wrap  around  the 
hand  as  shown  in  figure  6. 


Circular  261] 


SEWING    GRAIN    SACKS 


Fig.   5. — First  motion   in   forming  the   loop   for   the   first   ear. 


Fig.  6. — Second  motion  in  forming  the  loop  for  the  first  ear. 


b  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

4.  Placing  the  loops  for  the  first  ear. — With  the  right  hand,  place 
the  string  around  the  farther  ear  of  the  sack  by  making  a  quick  turn 
around  it  in  a  counter-clockwise  direction.2  Then  grasp  the  ear  with 
the  left  hand  and  allow  the  string  to  slide  off  the  hand  and  make  a 
turn  around  the  ear,  thus  completing  a  loose  clove  hitch  (Figs.  7 
and  8). 

5.  Tightening  the  loops. — Twist  the  ear  firmly  in  a  counter-clock- 
wise direction  with  the  left  hand  and  draw  the  string  up  tight  with 
the  right  (Fig.  9).     If  properly  done  from  four  to  five  inches  of  the 


Fig.  7. — Placing  the  loops  or  hitch  for  the  first  ear. 


cut  end  of  the  string  will  be  unused  and  the  left  edge  of  the  sack  will 
overlap  the  right.  Numbers  2,  3,  4,  and  5  should  be  done  as  a  con- 
tinuous series  of  motions  and  the  more  quickly  the  better. 

6.  The  first  stitch. — Take  the  first  stitch  close  to  ear  just  finished. 
Do  this  by  sticking  the  point  of  the  needle  that  projects  beyond 
the  fingers  of  the  right  hand  through  both  edges  of  the  sack  just 
below  the  finished  part  or  hem.  Let  go  of  the  blade  of  the  needle 
with  the  fingers.  Push  the  needle  nearly  through  with  the  palm  of  the 
hand  (Fig.  10).  Then  roll  the  hand  toward  the  left  and  over  the 
seam.  Grasp  the  needle  again  with  the  fingers  of  the  right  hand  and 
finish  pulling  it  through  (Fig.  11).  (Figures  10  and  11  show  the 
fourth  or  fifth  stitch  in  the  series  and  not  the  first.  This  was  done 
to  better  show  the  method.) 


sClockwise  is  the  direction  in  which  the  hands  of  a  clock  are  seen  to 
move  normally  as  the  observer  looks  at  them.  Counter-clockwise  is  the 
opposite   direction. 


Circular  261 


SEWING    GRAIN    SACKS 


7.  Lapping  the  sack  edges. — As  subsequent  stitches  are  being  taken, 
grasp  the  edges  of  the  sack  with  the  left  hand,  pull  them  close  to- 
gether and  tuck  the  right  edge  under  with  the  left  thumb,  keeping 
just  ahead  of  the  needle  (Figs.  10,  11,  and  12). 

8.  Tightening  the  stitches. — Take  three  stitches  in  rapid  succession. 
They  should  appear  about  as  in  figure  12,  top  view.  Then  tighten 
the  string  by  pulling  it  up  with  the  right  hand,  assisted  by  the  left 
if  necessary. 


Fig.  8. — A  loose  clove  hitch  on  a  piece  of  wood. 


9.  Spacing  stitches. — Space  stitches  evenly,  from  one  inch  to  one 
and  one-half  inches  apart,  or  so  as  to  have  from  eight  to  thirteen 
stitches  in  the  seam,  depending  on  the  fineness  of  the  grain  or  other 
material  in  the  sack. 

10.  Forming  the  second  ear;  first  motion. — With  the  needle  and 
right  hand  to  the  right  of  the  sack,  place  the  left  hand,  palm  upward, 
under  the  string.  Roll  it  toward  the  body,  the  fingers  passing  over, 
then  under  the  string,  thus  forming  a  wrap  around  the  hand.  Grasp 
the  ear  with  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand  and  permit  the  string  to 
slide  off  the  fingers  (Fig.  13).  Twist  the  ear  firmly  in  a  clockwise 
direction  as  the  string  is  being  tightened. 

11.  Forming  the  second  ear;  second  motion. — Repeat  number  10, 
thus  forming  a  clove  hitch  around  this  ear  also.  As  the  string  is 
being  tightened  around  the  ear  the  last  time,  hold  the  needle  so  as 
to  allow  the  string  to  pull  against  the  sharp  part  of  the  eye.  With 
a  quick  backward  swing  of  the  right  hand  cut  the  string  (Fig.  14)  and 
at  once  hang  the  needle  on  a  loop  of  unused  twine. 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


GRASPING  THE  SACK  TO  'BUCK'  IT  AWAY 

After  completing  the  sewing,  the  left  leg  is  extended,  thns  lower- 
ing the  left  knee.  The  sack  is  tipped  onto  this  knee,  then  onto  both 
knees,  after  which  it  is  grasped  and  carried  away  by  the  sewer  or 
an  assistant. 


Fig.  9. — Tightening  the  loops  or  hitch  on  the  first  ear. 


32r^ ' 

;/l 

PP^. '* 

^Ml 

t^k^M 

^&Jl 

Fig.  10. — Pushing  the  needle  through  the  seam  with  the  palm. 


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SEWING    GRAIN    SACKS 


Fig.  11 — Grasping  the  blade  of  the  needle  with  the  fingers  to  pull  it  through 
the  seam. 


Fig.  12. — Three  stitches  made  and  ready  to  be  tightened.     Top  view. 


10  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Fig.  13. — Placing  the  first  loop  around  the  latter  ear. 


Fig.   14. — Tightening  the  hitch  on  the  latter  ear  and  cutting  the  string. 


Circular  261]  SEWING  GRAIN   SACKS  11 


SUMMARY 

The  method  of  sewing  grain  sacks  as  herein  described  eliminates 
unnecessary  motions,  saves  time,  and  increases  efficiency  because : 

1.  Making  the  first  ear  as  outlined  requires  fewer  motions  and 
less  time  than  other  methods  commonly  used. 

2.  Twisting  the  ears  as  directed  tends  to  make  them  tight  and 
firm.     It  also  helps  to  lap  the  edges  of  the  sack  in  the  proper  way. 

3.  Taking  the  first  stitch  close  to  the  first  ear  keeps  the  ear  from 
pulling  out  of  shape  and  the  seam  from  opening. 

4.  Tucking  the  right  edge  or  hem  of  the  sack  under  the  left  as 
the  stitches  are  being  taken  tends  to  make  a  close,  tight  seam,  and 
prevents  the  seam  gaping  and  grain  losing  out. 

5.  Omitting  the  taking  of  a  stitch  before  making  the  first  ear  and 
backstitching  after  completing  the  latter  one,  both  of  which  are  of 
no  real  value,  saves  time  and  makes  it  possible  to  readily  remove 
the  string  from  both  ears  and  seam  without  the  aid  of  a  knife. 

6.  Cutting  the  string  with  a  quick  back  stroke  of  the  right  hand 
puts  the  needle  near  the  unused  twine  where  it  can  be  readily  hung 
for  safe  keeping  and  for  using  again. 

7.  Keeping  the  blade  of  the  needle  sharp  makes  it  possible  to 
use  it  for  cutting  tangled  strings  and  releasing  the  needle  in  case  the 
cutting  part  of  the  eye  should  fail  to  work  properly. 

8.  While  it  is  not  claimed  that  this  is  an  entirely  original  method, 
yet  it  is  believed  that  it  is  equal  to  any  and  superior  to  many.  With 
a  little  practice  the  amateur  should  be  able  to  sew  a  sack  in  one-half 
minute  or  sew  and  pile  sixty  an  hour  under  favorable  conditions. 
Experienced  men  can,  of  course,  handle  many  more. 


